Photo Software for Your Digital Images

If you're just starting out in digital photography, you may be worrying a lot about which digital camera to get. While that is important, do remember that there is another element - image editing. After digital photos are taken, they can (and should) be cleaned up using an image editing program.

Let's take a look at some of the many different kinds of photo software available on the market today. Knowing the different program features and options will help you decide on what program is the right one for you.

Beginner Photo Editing Software A basic photo editing software is what you are looking for is you are just starting out with editing digital photos and images. These programs are going to have all of the standard features you will find yourself needing at this stage. Basic image editing tools like rotation, sharpening, cropping and so on will all be at your fingertips in a user friendly layout and format.

I myself use a versatile tool called Ulead PhotoImpact. This program enables you to perform all sorts of image effects to your photos using clean, simple-to-use steps and menus. Its user-friendly format along with its affordable price makes it one of the favorite commercial grade photo editing packages available.

Advanced Photo Editing Software For those needing the next step up in photo editing software, seek out the advanced programs available. Just a few of these include Adobe Photoshop CS and Corel Painter. These types of programs cover all of the basics of the lower priced options plus the addition of high end features not found in their cheaper counterparts. Most professional photographers turn to these programs. Take note that these programs come with a much higher price tag, so make sure to do your homework first before making your purchase.

Free Photo Editing Software There are many photo editors offered for free download on the Internet. These programs offer basic image editing features and are generally written by individuals. Experiment with some of these programs to try some editing techniques on your own photos.

The GIMP One of the best programs I know of is the GIMP. It's a nice, clean image editor originally used under the UNIX operating system but has now been distributed for Windows. You can download it here.

Photo Management Software This category of photo software has found a following recently. Surely you will find yourself with an abundance of photos as a digital photographer, so how do you manage to keep up with them all? Easy enough thanks to photo management software.

Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 is one of the best programs for this function. I have found it to be my program of choice and I especially like the easy to use drag-and-drop capabilities, as well as attractive, clean user interface. Other good options include Ulead Photo Explorer and ACDSee.

Conclusion Hopefully this information has helped you on your way to choosing the best photo software available for you. Try partnering a strong editing program such as Ulead PhotoImpact with an organizing software like Adobe Photoshop Album. Editing or organizing your digital photos will then be only a few clicks away and simple for anyone to do.